Joana was born in Santa Maria da Feira, a city on the west coast of Portugal, and later moved to the Azores Islands. After living in different parts of her native country, she decided to take her first step in her professional career by moving to Denmark to be the new Communication Intern at Badminton Europe through the European Solidarity Corps programme. “I love Copenhagen and Denmark. It’s a place that I already feel I can call home. I want to explore this amazing country and its different islands. I guess you could say that islands follow me anywhere I go, and I don't mind at all — I love them! I love the nature and the people".

Joana has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication with a minor in English, and is currently in her second year of Masters in Communication Sciences in the Cultural and Science area. Her passion for words and Communication started when she was just a kid. 

“I used to love reading and every time I would ask my mother for books instead of toys. I started to write when I got a bit older, mainly about my feelings and transforming them into art. Then, I started to express my feelings and opinions out loud, and something clicked for me. I like to learn, explore, and discuss all sorts of topics with different people that have different mindsets. That's when I understood that communication had to be an important part of my life”.

“Communication is constant, timeless, written, spoken, seen, and heard. Communication brings people together, and connecting with other beings is probably the most beautiful thing for me”, adds Joana. So why get started in the world of sports? Joana explains that they have also played a part in her upbringing: “I wouldn't consider myself a sports kid but I guess I'm wrong because I played a lot of them growing up: dance, volleyball, horse riding, karate, judo, kickboxing, krav maga, roller skating, swimming…”.

Joana started her internship in the beginning of August and besides the office life, she has already got to experience the buzzing atmosphere of tournaments. “My favourite event so far was the first tournament that I covered on-site, the 2022 European U15 Championships in Spain. It was my first real badminton experience, where I got to see dozens of players on court as well as the backstage of tournaments”.

Badminton is a sport for inclusiveness, and this is something that has especially drawn Joana to the sport. “The world of badminton reminds me of a family community. It’s a sport with great potential, we need to increase our audience. We need to keep promoting women and minorities in the sport too. Para badminton should also have a larger focus and attention on its greatness”.

She has also had the chance to touch upon all the different tasks from the Communication department and has already found her favourite part of the job. “I love posting on social media and getting positive feedback from the audience. I think communicating sports and badminton in specific is the best of both worlds. You get to connect with people and promote a healthy lifestyle”.

So, after almost four months as part of the team, how would Joana describe being an intern in Badminton Europe? “It’s a challenging task where you get to improve and develop all areas of your professional and personal life”.